You remember that feeling? Back in 2012, walking into a GameStop and seeing those massive, chunky boxes that made the original Spyro’s Adventure figures look like tiny plastic pebbles. Honestly, Skylanders Giants all giants weren't just a marketing gimmick to sell more toys; they changed the physical scale of how we played. They were heavy. They glowed. If you dropped one on your toe, it actually hurt.
Toys for Bob took a massive risk here. They didn't just add more characters; they added a whole new tier of gameplay that required a bigger base and a bit of imagination. We’re talking about eight specific behemoths, one for each element, that basically acted as the tanks of Skylands. They could lift boulders, win feats of strength, and—most importantly—they lit up when you put them on the Portal of Power without any batteries. That induction technology still feels like wizardry today.
The Roster: Skylanders Giants All Giants Ranked by Vibe
Let's get into the actual line-up. You had Tree Rex, Bouncer, Crusher, Hot Head, Eye-Brawl, Ninjini, Swarm, and Thumpback.
Tree Rex was the one everyone had. Since he was bundled in the Starter Pack, he’s basically the face of the era. He’s a Life element powerhouse who looks like an Ent that spent too much time at the gym. His "Big Tree Smash" is classic, but it’s the photosynthesis cannon that really made him a threat in Arena mode.
Then you’ve got Bouncer. He’s Tech, he’s a robot, and he has wheels instead of legs. Total 1950s sci-fi aesthetic. What most people forget is that Bouncer is surprisingly fast for a giant. Most of these guys move like they're walking through molasses, but Bouncer can actually strafe. His finger guns—literally, his fingers are guns—offer a ranged playstyle that most other giants lack.
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Crusher is the Earth giant, and man, is he slow. But he hits like a literal mountain. He carries this massive granite hammer, and if you pick the right upgrade path, you can turn enemies into stone. It’s deeply satisfying. If you’re playing on Nightmare Mode, Crusher is a high-risk, high-reward pick because if you miss a swing, you’re wide open for a beating.
The Weird Ones: Eye-Brawl and Ninjini
Eye-Brawl is arguably the coolest design in the entire franchise. It’s an Undead giant that is literally a giant eyeball popped into a headless suit of armor. You can fly the eyeball around as a separate entity. It sounds like something out of a fever dream, but it works. In terms of raw DPS, Eye-Brawl is a monster.
Ninjini was the hardest one to find back in the day. She’s the Magic element giant and the only female giant in the group. She lives in a bottle. You can actually retreat into the bottle during combat to dodge damage and then pop out with an explosion. It’s a tactical layer that the "hit it until it dies" giants like Thumpback (the Water whale) don't really have. Thumpback is just a big dude with an anchor. He’s fun, sure, but Ninjini feels more technical.
Why Scale Mattered in 2012
Before Skylanders Giants, every figure was roughly the same size. When the giants arrived, they introduced "Feats of Strength." These were little environmental puzzles where you had to mash a button to pull a chain or throw a huge rock. If you didn't have one of the Skylanders Giants all giants on the portal, you literally couldn't access those parts of the map.
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It was a brilliant, if slightly predatory, way to ensure every kid needed at least one giant. But it also added a sense of verticality. You felt the weight. When a giant walks, the controller vibrates differently. The sound design has this heavy thud-thud-thud that makes the smaller Skylanders feel like ants.
The LightCore Factor
We have to talk about the Glow. The LightCore tech was the big selling point. Tree Rex’s eyes and arm glowed blue. Bouncer’s eyes and chest glowed green. It didn't require batteries because it pulled power directly from the portal’s electromagnetic field. This was peak "Toys-to-Life" era stuff. It bridged the gap between a static piece of plastic and a digital character. Even now, if you put a dusty old Hot Head on a modern portal, he lights up instantly. It’s nostalgic as heck.
Power Creep and the Nightmare Mode Meta
If you're revisiting the game today, you'll notice something: the giants are kind of "glass cannons" on higher difficulties. Even though they have massive health bars, their hitboxes are huge. They’re easy targets.
- Hot Head (Fire): Great for crowd control with his oil-spilling mechanic, but he gets melted by ranged enemies.
- Swarm (Air): He’s a giant bee. He can fly, which is a huge advantage, but he’s surprisingly fragile.
- Thumpback: He has the highest health in the game, basically. If you want to survive a boss fight by just outlasting them, he’s your guy.
The "meta" for Skylanders Giants usually revolves around Eye-Brawl or Bouncer. Being able to attack from a distance while having the health pool of a tank is just objectively better than being a melee brawler like Crusher. Honestly, though, most people just played whoever looked coolest. That’s the soul of the game.
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Collecting the Full Set in 2026
Surprisingly, these figures haven't ballooned in price as much as you'd think, with a few exceptions. You can find Tree Rex for a couple of bucks at any used game store. However, if you're looking for the variants—like Granite Crusher or the legendary versions—you’re going to pay a premium.
The rarest of the bunch is usually the Scarlet Ninjini or some of the employee-exclusive metallic repaints. But for just the base versions of Skylanders Giants all giants, you could probably round up the whole squad for under $60 if you're savvy on eBay or Mercari. They are sturdy. Unlike some of the later Swap Force or Imaginators figures with thin limbs that snap off, the giants are built like bricks. They’re the "toddler-proof" era of Skylanders.
The Legacy of the Big Guys
After Giants, the series went in weird directions. We had swappable tops and bottoms, then vehicles, then "Senseis." But the giants remained the most straightforward and satisfying "gimmick." They didn't overcomplicate the controls. They just made everything bigger.
There's a reason fans keep asking for a "Skylanders Giants Remastered" on modern consoles. There was a simplicity to the 2012 era. You put a big toy on a glowing circle, and you smashed stuff. No microtransactions (other than the toys themselves), no complex crafting trees. Just pure, chaotic fun.
Actionable Steps for Returning Portal Masters
If you're digging your old Portal of Power out of the attic to run through the game again, here is how to get the most out of your giants:
- Check the Internal Chips: Some older figures can suffer from "NFC tag decay," though it's rare. If a giant isn't registering, try moving it around the portal or clearing the dust off the base.
- Reset for a New Playthrough: You can reset a figure's level and gold in the game menu. It’s way more fun to level up a giant from Level 1 than to steamroll through the game with a Level 20 maxed-out character.
- Path Selection: Remember that once you pick an upgrade path (like Tree Rex’s "Woodchopper" vs. "Forester"), you're locked in unless you reset the figure. Choose wisely. Melee paths are fun but ranged paths are safer for the endgame.
- Don't Sleep on Heroic Challenges: These are character-specific trials that boost your stats permanently. If your giant feels too slow or weak, grinding a few challenges can make them feel significantly more powerful.
Skylanders Giants was the peak of the franchise for many because it didn't try to reinvent the wheel—it just made the wheel ten times larger and made it glow. Whether you're a collector or just a casual gamer looking for some nostalgia, the giants are the definitive way to experience this era of gaming history.